Taipei City Throws Wedding Celebration for Same-Sex Couples|同婚正式上路 北巿20對新人戶外婚禮派對

On May 24, Taiwan officially became the first place in Asia where same-sex marriage is legal. The Taipei City Government held a large-scale outdoor wedding party and invited 20 newlywed couples to jointly celebrate.


Newlywed couples walk down a rainbow carpet with joyful smiles on their faces. They have been waiting for this day for a long time.

I wanted to marry him as soon as I met him and I've (waited) 12 years. I feel very fortunate to be able to marry him today, in Taiwan. It hasn't been an easy road, but our lives will only get better and better.

On the 17th, the legislature passed the third reading of the Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748. On the 24th, Taiwan officially became the first place in Asia where same-sex couples can legally marry and the Taipei City Government threw an outdoor wedding celebration for 20 couples. Gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei, who played a key role in getting the constitutional interpretation on the legality of same-sex marriage underway in 2015, attended in a red suit and rainbow flag cape and wished everyone well.

At one time, I was the only one (at demonstrations), but I was able to get the conversation going in the legislature. Everyone knows the opposite-sex divorce rate is very high. It's 10 percent after five years. The same-sex divorce rate is just 0.5 percent after 10 years. People opposed to same-sex marriage can shut up.

This is a historic day in Taiwan. On behalf of everyone at the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, I wish all of you a hundred years of happiness.

Canada's representative to Taipei also congratulated everyone. Canada legalized gay marriage in July 2005, becoming the fourth country in the world to do so. The Taipei City Government presented couples with standard wedding gift boxes and books to mark the historic moment. Gay rights groups say they hope the government can now realize equality by tackling legal issues like inheritance, transnational marriages and adoption.



身穿同款西裝、手拿捧花，新人陸續踏上六色「彩虹毯」。儘管戶外天氣再炎熱，新人臉上始終洋溢笑容，因為他們等待「同性婚姻合法化」這天，真的等好久。

同志新人 小玄 vs. 小銘表示：「（等)12年，因為我打從一開始，我就想要跟他結婚，很幸運能夠在今天，在台灣結婚，然後我覺得，這一路走來，真的是不容易，對啊，我覺得我們會越來越幸福的。」

立法院在17號三讀通過「司法院釋字第748號解釋施行法」，讓台灣在5月24號，成為亞洲第一個「同性婚姻」合法化國家。北市府舉辦大型戶外婚禮，邀請20對同志新人接受祝福。而在2015年聲請釋憲的主角祈家威，也身穿大紅西裝、披上彩虹旗，到場祝福。

釋字748號解釋聲請人 祈家威表示：「以前只有我一個人(上街頭)，可是我先全世界，進入國會去討論(相關議題)，異性戀，你們要知道離婚率非常高，五年，就10%，等到10年後，我們看到同志結婚，離婚率只有0.5%，那這些反同的，就可以閉嘴了。」

加拿大駐台辦事處代表 芮喬丹表示：「今天是台灣歷史，歷史上，重要的一刻，我要代表我們加拿大辦事處的全體同仁，祝大家甜甜蜜蜜，百年好合。」

同婚合法化，不只國內關注，在2005年7月，成為全球第四個允許同性伴侶註冊結婚的加拿大，駐台辦事處代表也來到現場道賀。 而北市府，則是準備禮盒和專屬書約，見證歷史性時刻。至於未來，關於遺產繼承、跨國婚姻、收養孩子等可能出現的法律制度問題，同志團體也期待政府能逐步落實平權。